The new flagship Microsoft tablet, though, is the Surface Pro 2 which features the same display (but with 10-point multitouch) and rocks an Intel Core i5 (Haswell) processor and up to 8GB of RAM, 512GB SSD, two 720pHD cameras, a microphone, and stereo speakers. There are also plenty of ports, including USB 3.0, microSDXC card reader, cover port, and a mini DisplayPort. It also ships with the Surface Pen.

The Surface Pro 2 offers features not unlike a good laptop, and it’s priced accordingly; the device starts at $899, but the fully-loaded version with the large SSD storage and maximum RAM costs $1,799.

Surface Pro 2

Both the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 come with 200GB of SkyDrive storage, which is nothing to sneeze at, as well as free landline Skype calling and unlimited Skype WiFi for a year.

Microsoft also debuted seven new Surface accessories alongside the new tablets, which include the Touch Cover 2, Type Cover 2, Power Cover, Docking Station for Surface Pro, Wireless Adapter for Typing Covers, Car Charger with USB, and the Arc Touch Mouse Surface Edition.

Microsoft Arc Mouse Surface Edition

Though by and large rather pricey, the new accessories do appear to offer some fine features. For example, the Docking Station--which offers a mini DisplayPort, USB 3.0, three USB 2.0, Ethernet, and 3.5mm audio jacks--when paired with the Wireless Adapter gives users a powerful and flexible desktop solution at work or home. That Surface Edition Arc Mouse would be a rather tasty addition to such a setup, too.

One of the criticisms levelled at Microsoft’s Surface lineup from the get-go is price, and the second-generation Surface tablets are still definitely not cheap. Even with rather powerful specs on the Surface Pro 2, for example, $1,799 is a lot of cash to drop on any 10-inch device. The starting price of $899 is still steep but more palatable, though, and the $449 price tag for the Surface 2 isn’t bad at all, especially considering that you get Office thrown in gratis.